Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took a massive leap as a second-year player, showing trajectory that he can be an All-Star sooner rather than later.
Bleacher Report took notice. Reporters Andy Bailey and Dan Favale thought Gilgeous-Alexander had a better season than two stars, ranking him as the seventh-best shooting guard of the season, ahead of Donovan Mitchell and CJ McCollum.
Bailey and Favale wrote:
He is no longer a young prospect ahead of schedule. He’s one of the NBA’s most underrated scorers.
They pointed to Gilgeous-Alexander’s improved ability to create his own shot — 43% of his looks were unassisted, compared to less than 10% last year — and his strong mid-range game. They also said he’s absorbing contact better and getting to the free throw line more.
As play in the Orlando bubble approaches, Gilgeous-Alexander has led the team with 19.3 points per game in addition to 6.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
He is shooting 47.3% from the field and 35.1% from 3.
Gilgeous-Alexander can be the second-best offensive player on a ridiculously good team. And he doesn’t necessarily need to approximate floor-general value when he’s so darn useful at the other end. He can make life hell on both guard spots and even wing-sized whatevers. The Thunder haven’t shied from using him on Ben Simmons- and Brandon Ingram-types.
His All-Star peak isn’t just in play. It feels inevitable.
Not bad for a second-year player.
Bleacher Report also had Chris Paul in its point guard rankings, placing him as the No. 3 player at that position in the 2019-20 season.
